… which makes being productive and involved, a little over the top. Monday, my ersatz caretaker (and oh, how loosely I use that term) “gifted” me with a brand-new, I mean born that day, orphaned kitten. “Lucky” has taken over my life, just in my efforts to keep her alive.

So, this afternoon, I went off to the meeting with the USFS at the South Coast Community Center with a four-day-old kitten in a box, and all her feeding paraphenalia. It was well-attended, for a South Coast event, and the USFS sent a number of people, including John Bradford and Michael Boone. Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade’s presence was much appreciated, too, even if Jim Borrows (sp?) had to leave early. Warren Doyle, and JC stayed until the bitter end. KUSP’s Kelly O’Brien was also in attendance, as well as Jack of Pelican Network, whose last name I can never spell. (Thank you ALL!).

I had hoped the meeting would only be 2 hours, as I would be leaving anyway, and sure enough, it ended at 2:55 pm. Now THAT’s never happened before!! The other thing is that the USFS got applause, and gratitude from the South Coast community. We’ve been through a lot of District Rangers, over the years, it seems, and with some members of the community, trust has been an issue.

I left the meeting feeling as if not much was accomplished, other than an “airing” of various positions. Don’t get me wrong, the conversation has begun, but for the most part, solutions to the interrelated problems of funding, visitor service, fire danger, and community interface seem difficult to ascertain.The USFS seems resigned to trying to reconcile disparate positions — while recognizing it is an impossible task. We have choices, I know, although there are only a few that became clear to me tonight. One, is to just take care of ourselves, and each other. A second, is to get involved in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. I am sure there are others, but someone brought me a bottle of good Pinot Noir, and that seems preferable to thinking tonight.